Volkswagen Beetle Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Comments

Wow. I live in Ohio and am looking for a 2006 beetle convertible. I plan on buying next summer, when the 2007 models are out. I am hoping to buy a brand new 2006. Did you actually get a brand new convertible, package 2, for 21,500? Or, was the car used? Does your bug have the 6 speed Tiptronic?

WellI thought I should fire off this too you.Yes I did sell my VW Bug it was just costing me tooo much money to keep.I bought a 1988 Honda Accord with only 150K on it and I am very happy indeed.Its not a New VW Beetle,But it is going to save me alot of money on maintenance.Thanks for the suggestion.My brother a serious back door mechanic said the Hondas back then are very reliable.

Hi,I just bought a 2005 gls, but it is also the special edition two tone black with red. i was trying to see if any one knew more info about .all i know is that it is rare.I am having a hard time even finding anything on it at all. thanks- a

I don't have much info either, other than I own one. I called VW and found out there were only 100 made for US sales and I think 800 in the UK. I love mine. Get alot of looks when I am driving down the road. I got a really good deal on mine. I paid 16900 for it with 13000 miles. It had sat ont he lot for a while. I guess there are those who don't like th color combo.

My wife loves the new Beetle convertibles and is interested in a 2005 GLS automatic with turbo. The car only has 11,000 miles on it and looks great. I had a 2001 Jetta a couple years ago. It was a decent car but then needed a few repairs the last year or so. So my question is can anyone out there give me any information I should know about the Beetle convertibles? I'll take positive or negative. Also, is the turbo worth buying or does the regular 4 cylinder suffice?

I purchased a 2008 Beetle Convertible (new). I did look up forums etc. for problems, and about the first or first and second year of the Beetle Convertibles, there were some problems with the rear windows of the top coming loose after a few years. Apparently, the window is glued into place and it seems the glue may have begun to fail. Some people were quoted very high prices for a completely new top, and others took the car to a shop that does car interiors etc. and had the window reglued into place. Certainly a much cheaper route! I only saw this for the earlier convertibles, and 2005 should be fine. You may want to check forums on this, just to be sure.

HI. Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it. We haven't bought the Beetle yet, but are still reading and doing some searching. I notice the 05's with low mileage are running between $14,500 and $17,000 from what I've seen. Do you think there's much of a difference bewtween the turbo and straight 4? Does your Beetle have the power top or semi-automatic top? Also, how does the car handle at 65 miles an hour? Is it a smooth ride?

Thanks again for your help. Best of luck with your car!! Enjoy the nice weather coming up!

My 2008 convertible has the 2.5 liter 5 cylinder engine. It does not have the turbo. I cannot comment on the turbo, but i did read they are peppier and also have good reliability.

Our SE model has the power top. You do have to unlatch the top (above the mirror) and then just push the button. It will lock in place in the down position. Then just push the button again to raise the top. Again, you have to then latch it in place. A very tight fitting top - virtually no wind noise and also warm (this winter has been very cold and the car is not drafty).

I have taken this car on a 500 mile (on way) drive with my daughter. The front seats are very comfortable and the car rides very well (expressway driving at 65-70 mph). I would not hesitate at all taking the bug on long trips, other than you do have limited trunk space. Handling is superb - no blowing around behind large trucks or cross winds.

I met yesterday with the -lease end- guy at the dealer my VW Bug convert. came from. The guy says he can't do anything about the residual bcse VW owns the car and VW is not licensed in the state of CO. (He claims that CO. is one of 3 states that is the case.) My red flag alert and b.s. meter went up. Q- Is this true and what does VW not being licensed mean (to any one who buys or leases a car in one of these three states?) MY objective, like everyone is to pay a fair buyout. This guy is telling me they are powerless to do anything.....I rather doubt that. Am I up a creek w/o a paddle? Thank you in advance

I don't know if CO laws or VW policies have changed, but when we got to the end of our lease of our '99 NB in Colorado, VW Finance made an attractive offer for financing the residual. Low APR, and, if I remember correctly, a small decrease in the residual value.

You should talk with VW Finance directly, not your dealer, regarding your options.

Michaell, Thank you for your response. Same dealer in question. I had already talked with VW and they sent me to the dealer! VW is a pain - - - to deal with whether it be dealer or corp. It has been my experience that neither care about resolve. Perhaps that should be my Q to exit stage left? :mad: I do love my car though... SO FAR no huge issues. :shades:

I would call VW Finance and ask to speak with a supervisor .. generally, the front line folks who work the phones don't have a lot of authority and, in many cases, work from a prepared script.

Eventually, you should be able to talk with someone who can make a decision .. let them know you are considering turning the car in and getting a different brand. It' not likely that they want to see you walk.

Our NB ("Beauty") had a few small issues as well that required visits to the dealer, but we had purchased an extended warranty so didn't cost much out of pocket.

VW only has about $1000 markup from invoice to sticker price. You can check it on several pricing websites to confirm. In my case, I bought a 2008 Beetle Convertible in June 2008. Got about $1500 off sticker. I would say if you are getting a total of $2500 off sticker, you got a good deal. Not sure who is kicking in the $2500 for Friend and Family, but I doubt you will find a better deal.

Thanks for the info as I feel much better knowing that I got a good deal. We went into the showroom with no intent to buy, and the next thing I am doing is negotiating with no idea of what the base costs were.

My wife has been wanting a Beetle convertible for a long time now. We were on a VW dealer lot yesterday and saw a 2006 Beetle convertible 2.5 in Harvest Moon. It was a leased vehicle for four years. It's VW certified and has about 50,000 miles on it. It also has a clean Carfax report. I've read mixed reviews about the Beetle convertibles. I actually like the looks of the car myself. I had a 2001 Jetta that was a pretty good car overall. Before I forget, the car looks to be in excellent shape, at least from the outside and the interior. The dealer is asking around $15,500 which I thought was a little high due to the mileage. I sent them an email yesterday, which was Sunday, and I'll probably hear from them tomorrow.

Any comments at all would be appreciated. We live in NJ and prices seem to be higher here than in some parts of the country. Thanks for your help!! I look forward to hearing from anyone out there.

I purchased a 2008 Beetle Convertible new in June 2008. I looked at the reviews and complaints of Beetle Convertibles prior to purchase, and it appears most complaints were from the first / second model year (2003-2004). There were problems with the rear window getting loose, as well as various engine problems (not the 2.5 engine).

Our Beetle is almost 2 years old, and we have not had any problems, plus this car is fun, fun, fun. The tiptronic 6 speed automatic with the manual shift gate is fun to drive on the back roads, and the handling is very good.

As the car you are looking at is a VW Certified, it comes with a 2 year warranty. I don't know if that has a deductible, or is 100% (no deductible), but I think VW had worked out all the problems with the convertibles by the 2005 model year.

I am getting a fully loaded Final edition for $20,940 at the end of April. In March I was given probable lease info of a .00122 Money Factor Rate with Residual Value at $12,619.80. Term 36 Months with $2500 down.

Well, after reading some positive things about the NB's and quite a few negative things, we took the plunge and picked up an '06 NBC about five weeks ago. It has a little more mileage than I wanted to see, but we were able to get the car with a five-year certification. So far it's been a lot of fun to drive and no problems. It was a one owner lease with a clean Carfax. We're hoping the car stays like it is now. I guess we'll keep our fingers crossed on that one. It rides really nice on the highway and gas mileage is very good. I will say it certainly turns heads!! I bought the car for my wife, but I find myself driving it as much as I can. I traded in my '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee which I had for eight years.

I will keep reporting back to this forum hopefully with good reports. Thanks for reading this post.